Mamata’s gift to Nandigram victims

Kolkata, Nov 10 (IANS) Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Monday said her party would nominate a candidate from one of the families of the victims for the by-election in Nandigram where violence flared up last year over West Bengal government’s proposed chemical hub project.”I am leaving it on you to decide who would be our candidate for the coming assembly by-election,” Banerjee told a public gathering in East Midnapore’s Nandigram - about 150 km from here.

“I am asking everyone in Nandigram to take a unanimous decision and suggest the name to me. The criterion is that the person should be from a family whose member had died in the terror let loose by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in Nandigram.”

Dates for the by election in the Nandigram constituency are yet to be finalised. The by-poll was necessitated after Communist Party of India legislator Mohammad Illias, who won the seat twice in 2006 and 2001 assembly polls, recently resigned following his alleged involvement in a bribery case.

Assembly Speaker Hasim Abdul Halim had ordered an inquiry into Illias’ involvement in the bribery case, which was telecast by a private television channel.

Banerjee also observed a black day Monday, a year after CPI-M cadres allegedly launched violent attacks killing many villagers to recapture the area in the East Midnapore district.

“There was enough bloodshed in Nandigram and Singur. I would request the state government not to take such measures to attract investment in the state. It’s not possible to bring industry at the expense of locals. It’s a wrong method”.

“CPI-M is just filling its coffers in the name of welcoming industries,” she alleged.